Gene transfer of Chlorella vulgaris n-3 fatty acid desaturase optimizes the fatty acid composition of human breast cancer cells.

Abstract

Chlorella vulgaris has the gene of n-3 fatty acid desaturase (CvFad3), which can synthesize the precursor of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) or convert n-6 to n-3 PUFAs. The objective of the present study was to examine whether the CvFad3 gene from C. vulgaris can be functionally and efficiently expressed in human breast cancer cells and whether its expression can exert a significant effect on cell fatty acid composition. We inserted the CvFad3 gene into the plasmid pEGFP-C3 to construct the eukaryotic expression vector pEGFP-C3-n-3 and to express the n-3 Fad gene in human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 cells). Transfection of MCF-7 cells with the recombinant vector resulted in a high expression of n-3 fatty acid desaturase. Lipid analysis indicated that the ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs was decreased from 6:1 in the control cells to about 1:1 in the cells expressing the n-3 fatty acid desaturase. Accordingly, the CvFad3 gene significantly decreased the ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs of the MCF-7 cell membrane. The expression of the CvFad3 gene can decrease cell proliferation and promote cell apoptosis. This study demonstrates that the CvFad3 gene can dramatically balance the ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs and may provide an effective approach to the modification of the fatty acid composition of mammalian cells, also providing a basis for potential applications of its transfer in experimental and clinical settings.

• Authors: Meilan Xue, Yinlin Ge, Jinyu Zhang, Qing Wang, Lin Hou
• Journal: Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologicas (Braz J Med Biol Res) Vol. 45 Issue 12 Pg. 1141-9 (Dec 2012) ISSN: 1414-431X [Electronic] Brazil
• PMID: 22983174 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
• Fatty Acid Desaturases
• omega-3 fatty acid desaturase

Topics

• Apoptosis
• Breast Neoplasms (genetics, metabolism, pathology)
• Chlorella vulgaris (enzymology)
• Fatty Acid Desaturases (genetics, metabolism)
• Fatty Acids, Unsaturated (metabolism)
• Female
• Gene Transfer Techniques
• Genetic Vectors
• Humans
• Tumor Cells, Cultured